Barry Church | Homicide Watch Trenton

New Jersey Attorney General reflects on efforts to turn around Trenton’s crime problem

Penny Ray — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:56:36 -0500

Less than two months after Acting Attorney General John Hoffman was appointed to the position, 52-year-old Barry Church was struck and killed by a stray bullet while sitting on his front porch.

The event led to the creation of a multi-faceted crime fighting initiative placing a significant number of state police officers on the city’s streets and enlisting the help of neighboring law enforcement agencies.

“I remember thinking how sad it is that the city is in a place where people can’t sit comfortably on their porch at the end of a summer day,” Hoffman said in a recent interview. “I got some people together to sit down in my office and we said, ‘This has to end; we have to do more than we’re doing right now.’”

NJ Acting Attorney General John Hoffman

Hoffman and other law enforcement leaders then devised the Targeted Integrated Deployment Effort (TIDE), the Targeted Anti-Gun (TAG) initiative and the Trenton Violence Reduction Strategy (TVRS).

That was in August 2013 and those initiatives — still active today — have been labeled a success by law enforcement. But the AG didn’t stop there. Earlier this year, Hoffman increased the number of state police working under the TIDE initiative and created a full-time Warrant Squad, a Shooting Response Team and three State Police Crime Suppression Units, one of which deploys a significant amount of officers to work in Trenton.

The new initiatives were not indications that previous ideas were not working, Hoffman said, they were simply extensions of conversations and efforts that began in 2013. The AG now believes all of the pieces are in place to lead Trenton down a path of recovery from the bloodshed that has stained the city’s streets.

“It’s easy to come out with a new idea or a new initiative, but we need to institutionalize real change,” Hoffman said. “Right now, we need to make sure that we are doing these things the best that we can, make them permanent fixtures in the city and work with Trenton PD as closely as possible.”

The TAG initiative is a prosecutorial strategy that eliminated the common one-year plea deals for gun-toting criminals. Now, suspects who have been “tagged” must serve a minimum of three and a half years in jail for the gun offense.

The Trenton Shooting Response Team investigates all non-fatal shootings and consists of personnel from state police, the sheriff’s office, TPD, the county prosecutor’s office and other Mercer County law enforcement agencies. Hoffman said the strategy has positively affected crime fighting in two ways: it improves evidence gathering and sends a message to the community that police care about their well-being.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the community because we have this multi-jurisdictional force getting to the scene of these crimes immediately,” Hoffman said. “The officers are there when memories are fresh and witnesses are around.”

As a result of the partnership with TPD and current crime fighting initiatives in Trenton, Hoffman said, more than 330 guns were seized and recovered this year. Hoffman also said the number of shooting victims has dropped. Between May 1 and Nov. 30 of this year, the number of shooting victims (fatal and non-fatal) decreased about 25 percent compared to that same time period last year and about 33 percent compared to 2012, Hoffman said.

“I think that shows a real improvement in the shooting environment in the city and if we can keep building on that, I think we’ll be in better shape,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman’s commitment to “returning the city back to its rightful owners” is apparent not only in the amount of manpower he commits to Trenton, but also in how he forcefully speaks about his initiatives. Hoffman, who used to walk the streets of Trenton as a PSE&G meter reader for a summer job during college, has a real affinity for the city. At a press conference earlier this year, he challenged a reporter who claimed that some people thought his announcement of an increased state police presence in Trenton was a “dog and pony show.”

Hoffman told The Trentonian that he doesn’t enjoy touting statistics on a regular basis because the numbers are not always a reflection of law enforcement’s efforts to prevent crime. At that August 2013 meeting in his office, Hoffman said, he and law enforcement leaders talked about long-term strategies that would have a lasting effect on the city and its residents.

“We said, ‘Let’s not just shoot for cheap numbers or cheap stats,’” Hoffman said. “It’s important to make sure that what we have done will make a difference after we’re gone. There will be times when the numbers won’t be great, but that doesn’t mean we’re not doing the right thing. It just means that you can’t control everything.”

Woman struck by SUV during homicide clings to life

Brian Dzenis — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 19:07:44 -0400

The Philadelphia woman who was struck by a wayward Chevy Blazer during a Saturday night shooting that left two dead remains in extremely critical condition, police said on Monday.

Carmen Wright, 23, along with a 22-year-old city woman, were both struck by an SUV driven by Hassan Allen, 22, who lost consciousness and later died at the wheel after being shot near the 1100 block of East State Street.

An official gathers material from the 800-block of East State Street in Trenton as police investigate a reported early-morning shooting. (Trentonian photo/Jackie Schear)

The 22-year-old is expected to make a recovery. Barry Church, 52, was also killed in the shooting and was found dead at the scene. An 18-year-old man arrived at the Capital Health Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds in his leg and ankle that were also from the East State Street shooting.

Church and Allen's deaths bring the city's homicide total this year to 27. The body count has been raising at an unprecedented rate with this year's mark surpassing 2011 and 2012's 24 homicides and quickly approaching the capital city's all time high of 31 in 2005.

Police are also investigating two other homicides from the weekend. On Sunday around 8:45 a.m., Abraham Jeditoe, 21, of Hamilton, died at Capital Health after being stabbed multiple times on the 300 block of Chambers Street, near Trenton Central High School. 21-year-old Nyquan Jones died early Saturday morning after being shot in the head on the 300 block of Brunswick Avenue. Police said at the time of his murder, that he was shot by an unknown black male.

Roughly a week before his murder, Jones was arrested on weapons offences charges. According to the criminal complaint against him that was read in Trenton Municipal Court on July 26, Jones was arrested along with three others following a traffic stop that led to police recovering a .357 magnum revolver.

Anyone with information regarding the crimes can call the Trenton Police confidential tipline at (609) 989-3663 or the Crime Stoppers tipline at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip regarding the crimes can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

Four killed in deadly Trenton weekend

Joe D'Aquila — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 11:19:57 -0400

The wave of violence plaguing Trenton's streets this summer reached a deadly peak this weekend, with four people killed and others left injured in three separate incidents.

Nyquan Owens

The killing streak began early Saturday morning, with the shooting death of 20-year-old Nyquan Owens on the 300 block of Brunswick Avenue.

The violence continued with a crazed flurry along East State Street at about 11 on Saturday night, when 52-year-old Barry Church, believed to be an innocent bystander was shot to death near the corner of Olden Avenue.

Moments later, in what authorities believe to be a related incident, a vehicle driven by 22-year-old Hassan Allen crashed out of control a few blocks away, striking parked cars and two pedestrians.

Evidence markers are seen along East State St. near Olden Ave. Sunday Aug. 4, 2013. A Black cloth barrier on the right protects the scene of the crime. (Trentonian photo/Jackie Schear)

The two young women struck by Allen's vehicle were hospitalized, with one of them listed in critical condition, while Allen, who was discovered to have suffered a gunshot injury, later died at the hospital.

A black cloth barrier is seen in front of an East State Street home on Sunday morning following an overnight wave of violence in the city that left three dead. Police were seen collecting evidence at the location on Sunday Aug. 4, 2013. (Trentonian photo/SCOTT KETTERER)

An 18-year-old male also walked into a hospital emergency room around this time with a gunshot wound to his leg, and authorities have said they believe his injuries were related to this incident.

An official gathers material from the 800-block of East State Street in Trenton as police investigate a reported early-morning shooting. (Trentonian photo/Jackie Schear)

On Sunday morning, another wounded victim, this time the result of a stabbing on the 300 block of Chambers Street, was brought to the hospital.

Investigators mark, collect and bag evidence at the scene of an apparent homicide on Chambers Street across from Trenton Central High School. (Trentonian photo/SCOTT KETTERER)

The victim, identified as 21-year-old Abraham Jeditoe, of Hamilton Township, later died as a result of his injuries.

Police investigate the scene of a homicide on Chambers Street where it is believed a man was stabbed multiple times in the stomach. (Trentonian photo/SCOTT KETTERER)

Follow our coverage here at Homicide Watch Trenton and at Trentonian.com as these stories develop.

Additional photos from the scenes along East State Street and on Chambers Street:

Police are on the scene of a shooting in the 800-block of East State Street in Trenton Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. Another apparently related scene was several blocks away at East State near Olden Avenue. (Trentonian photo/Jackie Schear)

Police block off a section of East State Street on Sunday Aug. 4, 2013 following multiple homicides and a car accident that has left one woman in stable condtion and another fighting for her life at Capital Health Regional Medical Center on Sunday August 4, 2013. (Trentonian photo/SCOTT KETTERER)

TPD at shooting scene in the 800-block of East State St. Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. (Trentonian photo/Jaclie Schear)